Animal house

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an animal house comprising an impermeable hollow-moulded structure 210 having at least one convex surface 219. The structure comprises a first flat surface 214 extending in a first direction and a second flat surface 213 extending in a second direction. The convex surface 219 connects the first flat surface 214 to the second flat surface 213. The structure 210 further comprises a rib 230 defining a sharp edge. The rib 320 is configured to be releasably attached proximate to or on the convex surface 219 such that the rib 230 diverts a liquid flowing over the convex surface 219 away from the structure 210. The invention also provides an impermeable hollow-moulded panel 810 with protruding ridges 800, 801 to prevent water ingress.

This application is a U.S. national stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application Serial No. PCT/GB2017/000156, whichhas an international filing date of Oct. 24, 2017, designates the UnitedStates of America, and claims the benefit of GB Application No.1614451.1, which was filed on Aug. 24, 2016, the disclosures of whichare hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an animal house comprising animpermeable hollow-moulded structure and waterproof features therefor.

BACKGROUND

One example of an animal house is a hen house, which is used to keepchickens and other types of poultry. These hen houses serve to shelterchickens at night. They provide protection for both the chickens andtheir eggs from predators such as foxes, as well as shelter from anyinclement weather.

It is known to use plastic panels to make up such animal houses. Thesepanels may be made by hollow-moulding processes, such as blow-moulding,injection blow-moulding, injection stretch blow-moulding, androtational-moulding. The panels of the structure are fitted together byvarious fastening means to form the walls and a roof of the animalhouse.

There are various limitations and problems with using hollow-mouldedpanels for the walls and roof of an animal house.

One main limitation is related to the shapes that can be produced. Forexample, when blow-moulding a large component, the radius of curvatureachievable on the edges has a minimum limit in relation to the distanceof those edges as a function of the tool geometry. In some cases, thisprevents the formation of sharp edges. This is due to the minimum wallthickness required in order to ensure the blow-moulded component hassufficient structural integrity. It is also desirable to maintain aconsistent thickness of plastic throughout the part to help maintain itsstrength, ensure the part is moulded reliably and to keep material usageto a minimum. The tooling is therefore designed to allow the plastic tostretch in a consistent manner over the whole part.

During the blow-moulding process, a malleable/fluid plastic body isinserted into a mould. A pressurized gas is applied at the inlet of thebody and the body is stretched and forced against the inside walls ofthe mould by the gas. The mould is cooled and then removed. Theresulting plastic body has an outer shape which mimics the inner shapeof the mould, and an inner shape defining a hollow cavity. The wallthickness of the plastic body varies depending on local topography ofthe mould. For example, at sharp edges or corners, the walls of theplastic body are thinner. The walls of the plastic body may also bethinner the further they are from the gas inlet or centreline. Sharpedges and corners of the plastic body that are distal to the gas inletmay be particularly thin. Thin walls are often undesirable as they caneasily be broken and reduce the quality and reliability of the finalproduct.

In order to avoid thin regions of the plastic body, moulds without sharpcorners or edges can be used. Alternatively, moulds with sharp edges canbe used, but the gas pressure can be adjusted so that the plastic bodyis not forced completely into any corners or edges. Both of thesesolutions provide hollow-moulded plastic bodies with rounded edges andcorners having a larger radius of curvature than that achievable byother plastic forming methods, such as injection-moulding.

Hen houses which comprise hollow-moulded plastic boards can haveproblems with remaining water-tight. The panels may be assembled toleave small gaps between adjacent panels to allow for manufacturingtolerances, and to allow for ease of assembly. These small gaps mayallow water ingress, either through capillary action, or by wind action.One problem that results from the lack of sharp edges of hollow-mouldedpanels is that water can track along rounded convex edges and into theanimal house through the small gaps. In particularly heavy rainfall, alarge amount of water may end up flowing down the outside of the henhouse. This may then stay attached to the outside surface even at therounded edge due to the Coand{hacek over (a)} effect. The water may thentrack around the rounded edge and inside the hen house. This problem isnot prevalent with wooden structures which can absorb water to a certainextent, or plastic structures with sharp edges.

The present invention has been devised with the foregoing in mind.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, there is provided an animal house comprising: an impermeablestructure having at least one convex surface, a first flat surfaceextending in a first direction and a second flat surface extending in asecond direction, the convex surface connecting the first flat surfaceto the second flat surface; and a rib defining a sharp edge, wherein therib is configured to be releasably attached adjacent to the convexsurface such that the rib diverts a liquid flowing over the convexsurface away from the structure.

In use, the rib is able to divert water away from the convex surface soas to prevent the water flowing along the first flat surface towards theinside of the animal house. The sharp edge of the rib ensures that thewater separates from the structure and does not flow onto the first flatsurface towards the inside of the animal house. The rib thus provides away of making a hollow-moulded animal house waterproof.

The convex surface may have a radius of curvature of between 1 mm and100 mm.

The rib may have a planar portion, and the rib may be attached to thestructure first flat surface at the rib planar portion. The planarportion enables easier alignment and assembly of the rib to thestructure.

The sharp edge may be offset from the first flat surface, defining a gaptherebetween. In use, this allows water already separated from the firstand second surfaces, but having a component of velocity in a directionopposite to the first direction, to be intercepted by the rib.

The rib planar portion may be configured to form a seal with the firstflat surface of the structure. The seal prevents any tracked waterreaching the inside of the animal house.

The rib may have a portion extending in the first direction.

The first direction and the second direction may be substantiallyorthogonal. The first direction may be substantially vertical. Thesecond direction may be substantially horizontal.

The second flat surface may define a plane, and the rib may be arrangedsuch that it terminates within or proximate to the plane of the secondsurface. This arrangement avoids use of any parts which protrudesubstantially away from the animal house, which could provide obstaclesto a person accessing the animal house, could be easily broken orsnapped off, or may reduce the aesthetic quality of the animal house.

The convex surface of the structure may comprise a material having asurface tension value substantially between 20 and 50 mN/m. The convexsurface of the structure may comprise a polymeric material.

The structure may be a blow-moulded structure. The structure may be arotational-moulded structure.

The rib may be a single unitary piece. The rib may thus be manufacturedat low cost.

The rib may comprise two or more attachable unitary pieces. The rib maythus be easily stored and transported.

The rib may have a cross-section, the cross section being one of: anL-shape; a Z-shape; an arc shape; a top-hat shape; or rectangular. Eachcross section has various advantages. The most suitable cross-sectionfor the rib will depend on the relative dimensions of the structure, thelocation of the rib and the particular component to which the rib isattached.

The structure first flat surface may define a flat-bottomed channel, andthe rib may be configured to be partially received within the channel.This arrangement provides an improved seal, by providing a furtherbarrier to water ingress, as the seal is provided at a higher level thanthe curved surface of the structure. The flat-bottomed channel also actsas a guide to facilitate assembly.

The impermeable hollow-moulded structure may be a wall panel or a roofpanel of the animal house.

According to a presently preferred second embodiment of the invention,there is provided an impermeable hollow-moulded panel for an animalhouse having a recessed first end portion adjacent a first edge, thefirst end portion having a series of protruding ridges connected by aprotruding spine, the spine extending substantially in parallel with thefirst edge and the series of ridges extending at an angle of between 5°and 80° to the first edge. This aspect of the invention provides analternative solution to the problem of water ingress into ahollow-moulded animal house. The protruding ridge acts as a guide, toguide water which may have tracked along a curved surface away from theinside of the animal house.

The ridges in the series of protruding ridges may be parallel to eachother. This arrangement may provide the best cover to prevent watertracking towards the inside of the animal house.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an animal house comprising:an impermeable hollow-moulded structure having at least one convexsurface, a first flat surface extending in a first direction and asecond flat surface extending in a second direction, the convex surfaceconnecting the first flat surface to the second flat surface; and a ribdefining a sharp edge, wherein the rib is configured to be releasablyattached proximate to or on the convex surface such that the rib divertsa liquid flowing over the convex surface away from the structure. Theconvex surface may have a radius of curvature of between 1 mm and 100mm. The rib may have a planar portion, and the rib may be attached tothe structure first flat surface at the rib planar portion. In oneimplementation, the sharp edge is offset from the first flat surface,defining a gap therebetween.

Preferably the rib planar portion is configured to form a seal with thefirst flat surface of the structure. The rib may comprise a portionextending in the first direction. The first direction and the seconddirection may be substantially orthogonal, for example wherein the firstdirection is substantially vertical and the second direction issubstantially horizontal. The second flat surface may define a plane,and the rib may be arranged such that it terminates within or proximatethe plane of the second surface. The convex surface of the structure maycomprise a material having a surface tension value substantially between20 mN/m and 50 mN/m. The convex surface of the structure may comprise apolymeric material. The structure may be a blow-moulded structure. Therib may be either a single unitary piece or comprise two or moreattachable unitary pieces. In one implementation the rib has across-section, the cross section being one of: an L-shape; a Z-shape; anarc shape; a top-hat shape; or rectangular. Preferably the structurefirst flat surface defines a flat-bottomed channel, and the rib isconfigured to be partially received within the channel. The impermeablehollow-moulded structure may be a wall panel or a roof panel of theanimal house.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an impermeable hollow-mouldedpanel for an animal house having a recessed first end portion adjacent afirst edge, the first end portion having a series of protruding ridgesconnected by a protruding spine, the spine extending substantially inparallel with the first edge and the series of ridges extending at anangle of between 5° and 80° to the first edge. In one arrangement, theridges in the series of protruding ridges are parallel to one another. Afurther aspect of the invention relates to an animal house comprisingone or more of these impermeable hollow-moulded panels.

Another aspect of the invention provides an animal house comprising:impermeable structure means, said structure means having at least oneconvex surface, a first flat surface extending in a first direction anda second flat surface extending in a second direction, the convexsurface connecting the first flat surface to the second flat surface;and liquid diverting means defining a sharp edge, wherein the liquiddiverting means is configured to be releasably attached proximate to oron the convex surface such that the liquid diverting means diverts aliquid flowing over the convex surface away from the structure means.

A further aspect of the invention provides: impermeable hollow-mouldedpanel means for an animal house, the panel means having a recessed firstend portion adjacent a first edge, the first end portion having a seriesof protruding fluid guiding means connected by a protruding spine, thespine extending substantially in parallel with the first edge and theseries of fluid guiding means extending at an angle of between 5° and80° to the first edge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the teachings of the present invention, andarrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described byway of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a portion of a prior art animal housecomprising a roof and a wall;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the first aspect of thepresent invention, with a portion of an animal house comprising a walland a door;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the first aspect of thepresent invention, with a portion of an animal house comprising an upperwall, a lower wall and a tray;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the first aspect of thepresent invention, with a portion of an animal house comprising a roofpanel;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-section view of a roof panel according to afurther embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-section view of a roof panel according to afurther embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-section view of a roof panel according to afurther embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9 ;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of a portion of an animal house comprisingan end panel with a series of ridges, in accordance with the secondaspect of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken at line A-A of FIG.11 and an enlarged perspective view of a ridge at detail B of FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an animal house comprising the sidepanel of FIG. 11 ; and

FIG. 14 is a further perspective view of the animal house of FIG. 13 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1 , a prior art partial solution to the wateringress problem described above is provided. FIG. 1 shows a portion ofan animal house 100 defining an interior region 102 and external region104. The external region 104 is exposed to the atmosphere.

The animal house 100 has a roof panel 110 and a side panel 120. The roofpanel 110 has a roof protruding part 112, and the side panel 120 has aside protruding part 122. A seal is provided by overlap of the roofprotruding part 112 and the side protruding part 122. Any water thattracks around the convex surface of the roof protruding part 112 isprevented from entering the internal region of the animal house by theside protruding part 122. Instead, the water falls along the externalregion side of the side panel 120.

This prior art solution to the water ingress problem has variouslimitations. One limitation is that the side panel 120 cannot be movedin the direction of the arrow x without vertical or horizontaldisplacement, so as to avoid clashing with the overlap of the roofpanel. This means that for removable parts such as trays or doors whichare restrained for such displacements, this prior art solution cannot beused.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the first aspect of the presentinvention. A portion of an animal house 200 defines an interior region202 and an exterior region 204. The animal house 200 has an upper wallpanel 210, a lower wall panel 220, a rib 230 and a screw 240.

The upper wall panel 210 has a hollow main body 211 and a protrudingpart 215. The hollow main body 211 is defined by an inner wall 212, anouter wall 213 and a rear wall 214. The outer wall 213 and the rear wall214 are joined by a convex surface 219. The protruding part 215 sharesthe inner wall 212 with the main body 211, and has an outer wall 216 anda rear wall 217.

The lower wall panel 220 has a hollow main body 221 defined in part byan outer wall 223, an inner wall 222 and a top wall 224. The lower wallpanel 220 may be a door providing access to interior region 202 ofanimal house 200.

The rib 230 is elongate, Z-shaped in cross section, and has a ledge 231.The rib 230 terminates in a sharp edge 232. The rib 230 is a singleunitary piece of plastic, preferably high-density poly(ethylene) (HDPE).

Used herein, the term “sharp” should be interpreted as “sharper than”the convex surface of the impermeable hollow-moulded structure. Thespecific form and arrangement of the “sharp” component is arbitrary saveas to be sharp enough so as to prevent wicking of water droplets aroundthe edge 232, but instead to cause separation of water droplets from therib 230. For example, a sharp edge may taper to a point, or be providedas an edge which in cross-section defines three orthogonal sides, suchas the outermost part of the rib 230 shown in FIG. 2 . The term “sharp”may also refer to a rounded edge with a smaller radius of curvature thanthe convex surface of the impermeable hollow-moulded structure, as longas such an edge causes separation of water droplets and prevents wickingof the water droplets.

The term “outermost” used herein to describe part of a component refersto the furthest part of a component away from the inside of an animalhouse. The term “innermost” used herein to describe part of a componentrefers to the furthest part of a component towards the centre of ananimal house.

The upper wall panel 210 and the lower wall panel 220 are aligned suchthat there is a gap 250 between the rear wall 214 of the upper wallpanel 210 and the top wall 224 of the lower wall panel 220. The upperwall panel 210 and the lower wall panel 220 are aligned such that theprotruding part 215 of the upper wall panel 210 overlaps the lower wallpanel 220. The outer wall 216 of the protruding part is proximate theinner wall 222 of the lower wall panel 220.

The rib 230 is attached to the rear wall 214 of the upper wall panel 210by a fastener. The fastener is a screw 240. The rib 230 is attached tothe rear wall 214 such that the rib 230 is disposed in the gap 250, andsuch that the contact between the upper surface of the rib 230 and thelower surface of the rear wall 214 provides a water tight seal. The rib230 extends beyond a plane defined by the outer wall 213 of the mainbody 211 of the upper wall panel 210.

In the event that water runs along the surface 213 in the direction ofarrow R, water can track along the convex surface 219 and gain momentumwith a component in a direction perpendicular to the arrow R, inparticular in a direction of ingress to the animal house. Water is thenprevented from entering the internal region 202 of the animal house 200by the ledge 231 of the rib 230. As the rib 230 and the rear wall 217have a water-tight seal, no water can pass between the rib 230 and therear wall 217. Water is forced to travel along the rib 230 in thedirection of arrow R2, away from the upper wall panel 210 and the lowerwall panel 220. Particularly, water is forced away from the gap 250. Aswater reaches the outermost part of the rib 230, it continues in thedirection of arrow R2 before returning to the direction of arrow R dueto gravity. In contrast to tracking along the convex surface 219, waterdoes not track along the outermost part of the rib 230. This is becausethe rib 230 has the sharp edge 232.

In contrast to the prior art solution described with reference to FIG. 1, the rear wall panel 220 of the first embodiment of the presentinvention can be moved in the direction of arrow x. Thus, in this case,the rear wall panel 220 can be removed from upper wall panel 210 inorder to gain access to the interior region 202 of animal house 200without vertical and/or horizontal displacement of the rear wall pane220.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, 300, 302,304, in which there is an upper wall panel 310, a lower wall panel 340,a removable tray 320, and a rib 330.

The upper wall panel 310 has an inner wall 312, an outer wall 313, and arear wall 214.

The outer wall 313 and the rear wall 314 are joined by a convex surface319.

The removable tray 320 has an inner wall 322, an outer wall 323, a topwall 324 and a rear wall 327.

The lower wall panel 340 has a top wall 344.

The rib 330 has a first leg 331, a second leg 332 and a third leg 333.The first leg 331 is straight and elongate in cross-section. The secondleg 332 is substantially straight and elongate. The third leg 333 iselongate and has two z-shaped parts in cross-section. The outermostz-shapes part defines a ledge 335. The third leg 333 is substantiallyorthogonal to the first leg 331.

The upper wall panel 310 and the lower wall panel 340 are connected(which can be seen in FIG. 13 ) and define a cavity which receives theremovable tray 320. Part of the rear wall 327 of the removable tray 320contacts and rests on the top wall 344 of the lower wall panel 340.

A gap 325 is defined between the upper wall panel 310 and the removabletray 320.

The rib 330 is disposed in the gap 325. The rib 330 is attached to theupper wall panel 310. The first leg 331 of the rib 330 is aligned withand in contact with the inner wall 312 of the upper wall panel 310. Thesecond leg 332 of the rib 330 extends away from the upper wall panel 310towards the inside 302 of the animal house. The outermost part of thethird leg 333 extends away from the rear wall 314 of the upper wallpanel 310. The third leg 333 of the rib 330 has a contact part which isaligned with and in contact with the rear wall 314 of the upper wallpanel 310, such that it provides a water-tight seal along the contactpart. The third leg 333 extends up to a plane defined by the outer wall313 of the upper wall panel 310.

The third leg 333 of the rib 330 has the same function as the rib 230 ofthe first embodiment. In the event that water runs along the surface 313in the direction of the arrow R, water can track along the convexsurface 319 and gain momentum with a component in a directionperpendicular to the arrow R, in particular in a direction of ingress tothe animal house. Water is then stopped by the ledge 335 of the thirdleg 333 of the rib 330. As the third leg 333 and the rear wall 314 havea water-tight seal, no water can pass between the third leg 333 and therear wall 314. Water is forced to travel along the third leg 333 in thedirection of arrow R2, away from the upper wall panel 310, lower wallpanel 340 and removable tray 320.

Particularly, water is forced away from the gap 325. As water reachesthe outermost part of the third leg 333, it continues in the directionof arrow R2 before returning to the direction of arrow R due to gravity.As described before in relation to the first embodiment, in contrast totracking along the convex surface 319, water does not track along theoutermost part of the rib 330. This is because the rib 330 has a sharpedge.

In contrast to the prior art solution described with reference to FIG. 1, removable tray 320 can be moved in the direction of arrow x.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show a cross section, a perspective view and a backview respectively of a third embodiment of the invention. The rib 430 isthe same as the rib 230 of the first embodiment, hence features of therib 230, 430 described previously will not be repeated.

In this embodiment, the animal house comprises a flat roof panel 410.The flat roof panel 410 has an outer wall 412, a back wall 414 and aconvex surface 419. The outer wall 412 and the back wall 414 are joinedby the convex surface 419. The rib 430 is attached to the back wall 414by a screw 440, such that a water-tight seal is provided between theback wall 414 and the rib 430.

The rib 430 extends along the outer wall 412, as shown by FIGS. 5 and 6.

The ribs 230, 330 of the first and second embodiments (describedpreviously in relation to FIGS. 2 and 3 ) extend along the outer walls213, 313 respectively, in the same manner as that shown by theperspective and back views of the third embodiment (FIGS. 5 and 6 ).

FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively show third and fourth embodiments of thefirst aspect of the present invention. The panels 510, 610 may be thesame as any of the components 210, 310 or 410 described respectively inany of the first, second or third embodiments.

The third embodiment, shown in FIG. 7 , comprises a rib 530 with anL-shaped cross section. The fourth embodiment, shown in FIG. 8 ,comprises a rib 630 with an arc-shaped cross section.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The fifth embodiment, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , comprises ahollow-moulded structure 710 and a rib 730 with a top-hat shapedcross-section. The rib 730 has a flat top part 781, two flat side parts782, 783 and two flat rim parts 784, 785.

The hollow-moulded structure 710 has a convex surface 719 and a rearsurface 714. The hollow-moulded structure 710 may be substantially thesame as the component 410 described previously. However, thehollow-moulded structure 710 differs from the embodiments describedpreviously in that it has a channel 780.

The channel 780 is configured to receive the top part 781 and the twoside parts 782, 783 of the rib 730. The top part 781 is connected to thehollow-moulded structure by a screw 740, such that a water tight seal isprovided between the hollow-moulded structure and the top part 781 ofthe rib 730. The two rim parts 784, 785, extend parallel to a planedefined by the rear wall 714 of the hollow-moulded structure 710.

The rib 730 has the same function as the ribs 230, 330, 430, 530, 630described previously.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a second aspect of the invention. An alternativesolution to the problem of water ingress in the gap between adjacentpanels of a hollow-moulded animal house is provided by the second aspectof the invention. There are certain situations where using the rib 230,330, 430, 530, 630, 730, described above may not be appropriate. Oneother example where a rib may be difficult to employ is along verticaledge joins between panels. For example, along an edge join, such as avertical edge join, between a front panel and a side panel of an animalhouse.

FIG. 11 shows an impermeable hollow-moulded side panel 810 of an animalhouse having an inward-facing surface 811, a first series of ridges 800and a second series of ridges 801. FIG. 12 , section A-A shows thehollow nature of the side panel 810.

The side panel 810 has a first edge 802, a second edge 803. Adjacent thefirst edge 802 there is defined a recessed first end portion 806 of theside panel 810. Adjacent the second edge 803 there is defined a recessedsecond end portion 807 of the side panel 810. The first end portion 806and the second end portion 807 each define a plane. The planes aresubstantially aligned with each other, with slight misalignment possibledue to manufacturing tolerances. The first series of ridges 800 arearranged along the first end portion 806, and the second series ofridges 801 are arranged along the second end portion 807.

Each series of ridges 800, 801 is substantially the same, so onlyfeatures of the first series of ridges 800 will be described here indetail. FIG. 12 shows a simplified cross-section through the first endportion 806.

The first series of ridges 800 and the side panel 810 are together asingle unitary piece of hollow-moulded plastic. The first series ofridges 800 comprises nine individual ridges 808 connected by a spine805. The ridges 808 and the spine 805 protrude away from the planedefined by the recessed first end portion 806, to the same extent. Asbest seen in FIG. 12 the ridges 808 and spine 805 protrude level withthe inward-facing surface 811 of the panel 810.

The spine 805 extends along the first end portion 806 of the side panel810, in parallel to the first edge 802. The ridges 808 of the firstseries 800 are equally spaced apart from each other and extend away fromthe spine 805, along the plane defined by the first end portion 806. Theridges 808 may be oriented away from the spine 805 at an angle between5° and 80°. The ridges 808 of the first series 800 are parallel to eachother.

FIG. 12 shows an enlarged perspective view of a ridge of FIG. 11 . Asshown by FIG. 12 , the ridge 808 has substantially curved edges. Thismay be a result of the hollow-moulding process and limitations, asdescribed previously. In FIG. 12 , the ridge 808 has an upper curvededge 888 and a lower curved edge 889 (partially seen in FIG. 12 ).

In use, the side panel 810 is arranged such that the ridges 808 extenddiagonally down and away from the spine 805. The ridges 808 extend at anangle of 30° to the substantially vertical first edge 802. In analternate embodiment, the ridges 808 may extend from between 5° and 80°to the first edge 802. A back panel 910 is aligned with and fittedagainst the second end portion 807 of the side panel 810, such that theridges 808 are opposed to the back panel 910 and a gap is definedtherebetween. The side panel 810 and back panel 910 together define acorner of the animal house 900.

In the example shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 , the side panel 810 and theback panel 910 are arranged vertically, or substantially vertically. Inthis example, water may track around the edges 802, 803 of the sidepanel 810, such that the water has a horizontal component to itstrajectory. In the absence of the series of ridges 800, 801, water maytrack around the edges 802, 803 and into inside of the animal house. Inthe absence of the series of ridges 800, 801, water may also oralternatively track around edges of the back panel 910 in a similarmanner.

The series of ridges 800, 801 reduce the likelihood of any trackingwater from reaching the inside of the animal house.

Water tracking around an edge 802 is represented in FIG. 12 , Detail B.Arrow 8 represents a water droplet moving between the side panel 810 andthe back panel 910 either under capillary action, or by wind action.Arrow 9 represents the vertical component of the water trajectory due togravity. The ridge 808 acts as a guide to direct water away from theinside of the animal house. For example, when water reaches the uppercurved edge 888, it may be guided along the upper curved edge 888,downwards and away from the inside of the animal house. Alternatively,water may run over the ridge 808, and then be at least partly guidedaway from the inside of the animal house by the lower curved edge 889.This guiding away from the inside of the animal house is made possibleby the angle of the ridges, and due to the curved edges of the ridges.

The ridges each terminate in a relatively sharp end 809. These sharpends 809 of the ridges 808 cause water to be discouraged from trackingalong the hollow-moulded structure towards the inside of the animalhouse 900. In this respect, this aspect of the invention embodies thesame inventive concept as the first aspect of the invention. This aspectof the invention provides an alternative solution to the problem solvedby the first aspect of the invention.

The ridges 800, 801 may be suitable for any corner between panels. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 14 , the side panel 810 may be arranged suchthat the ridges 800, 801 are in contact with a front panel 1010 of theanimal house 900.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments ofthe present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of thepresent invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set outherein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, equivalents,and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scopeof the appended claims.

It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set outparticular combinations of features described herein, the scope of thepresent invention is not limited to the particular combinationshereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination offeatures herein disclosed.

Finally, it should be noted that any element in a claim that does notexplicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “stepsfor” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a“means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. Inparticular, the use of “step of” in the claims appended hereto is notintended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An animal house defining an interior regionand an exterior region, the animal house comprising: an impermeablehollow-moulded structure having at least one convex surface, a firstflat surface extending in a first direction and a second flat surfacefacing the exterior region, the second flat surface extending in asecond direction and defining a plane, the at least one convex surfaceconnecting the first flat surface to the second flat surface; a top wallconnected to an outer wall and to an inner wall, the top wall defining afirst gap with the at least one convex surface, wherein the top wall ismoveable laterally with respect to the at least one convex surface andis not restrained for movement by the impermeable hollow-mouldedstructure; a rib defining a sharp edge wherein the rib terminates in thesharp edge and the sharp edge terminates proximate to the plane of thesecond flat surface; and wherein the rib is adapted to be releasablyattached proximate to or on the at least one convex surface such thatthe rib diverts a liquid flowing over the at least one convex surfaceaway from the second flat surface and away from the first gap.
 2. Theanimal house according to claim 1, wherein the convex surface has aradius of curvature of between 1 mm and 100 mm.
 3. The animal houseaccording to claim 1, wherein the rib has a planar portion, and the ribis attached to the first flat surface of the structure at the planarportion of the rib.
 4. The animal house according to claim 1, whereinthe sharp edge is offset from the first flat surface, defining a secondgap therebetween.
 5. The animal house according to claim 1, wherein aplanar portion of the rib is adapted to form a seal with the first flatsurface of the structure.
 6. The animal house according to claim 1,wherein the rib has a portion extending in the first direction.
 7. Theanimal house according to claim 1, wherein the first direction and thesecond direction are orthogonal.
 8. The animal house according to claim7, wherein the first direction is vertical and the second direction ishorizontal.
 9. The animal house according to claim 1, wherein the convexsurface of the structure comprises a material having a surface tensionvalue between 20 mN/m and 50 mN/m.
 10. The animal house according toclaim 1, wherein the convex surface of the structure comprises apolymeric material.
 11. The animal house according to claim 1, whereinthe structure is a blow moulded structure.
 12. The animal houseaccording to claim 1, wherein the rib is a single unitary piece.
 13. Theanimal house according to claim 1, wherein the rib comprises two or moreattachable unitary pieces.
 14. The animal house according to claim 1,wherein the rib has a cross-section, the cross-section being one of: anL-shape; a Z-shape; an arc shape; a top-hat shape; or rectangular. 15.The animal house according to claim 1, wherein the first flat surface ofthe structure defines a flat-bottomed channel, and the rib is adapted tobe partially received within the channel.
 16. The animal house accordingto claim 1, wherein the impermeable hollow moulded structure is a wallpanel or a roof panel of the animal house.
 17. An animal housecomprising: impermeable structure means including an impermeablehollow-moulded panel, said impermeable hollow-moulded panel having atleast one convex surface, a first flat surface extending in a firstdirection and a second flat surface extending in a second direction, theat least one convex surface connecting the first flat surface to thesecond flat surface; a movable part spaced from the at least one convexsurface and defining a gap between the at least one convex surface andthe movable part; liquid diverting means defining a sharp edge; andwherein the liquid diverting means is configured to be releasablyattached proximate to or on the at least one convex surface such thatthe liquid diverting means diverts a liquid flowing over the at leastone convex surface away from the movable part and away from the gap,wherein movement of the movable part is movable laterally and is notrestrained for movement by the impermeable hollow-moulded panel.